22 justChristmas
A breath of fresh air
A combination of baby seals, the freshest of air and empty beaches welcomes the walker tackling a Winterton to Happisburgh hike, as ED FOSS finds out.
It’s almost 10 miles along the beach and dunes from Winterton to Happisburgh – and there is plenty to see and experience on the way.
This is one of the most spectacular sections of coastal walking in Norfolk. It’s not brimming with facilities, which will mean it won’t be attractive to everyone but if you like your wilderness, it’s truly great. There are, in fact, some very good pubs and cafés within fairly easy striking distance if you need them – it’s just a case of knowing how to get to them, as signage on the beach obviously isn’t very common! And also bear in mind that winter opening times will usually be shorter in seasonal tourist areas than summer opening times. Your starting point in Winterton allows you a first point of call at the well-known beach café. Nothing complicated – and that’s not a criticism – but perfect for a mug of tea and a cake before setting off. You have to pay to park in the main car park, which on a winter’s day in January will be relatively quiet. The options for walking are easy – dune or beach, depending on the state of the tide, the weather and your preference. At low tide and when there is a good volume of sand around (many people don’t seem to realise how the sand levels can change and therefore affect the state of the beach) this is a pretty spectacular section of beach, wide and visually very appealing. The dunes give excellent views inland
across the very flat landscape of churches, villages, windfarms and lighthouses. On a quiet day this is where the wilderness really starts. You can be on your own for a while, possibly only sharing your time with a smattering of birdwatchers, fellow walkers and seals. This section of coast has a huge population of seals and in “pup” season – November through to January – you will also be joined by seal watchers, sometimes hundreds of them, around a long section of coast near Horsey Gap. Signs and wardens ask walkers to voluntarily give the seals the space they need, which means keeping off the beach and being careful about where you go in the dunes. Dogs need to be kept under control, both for the safety of the seals and for the dogs themselves. An angry adult seal is not to be messed with.
The main access for seal watching is the
car park at Horsey Gap and during the Christmas break is a hugely popular place to bring the children to see the pups. It’s quite some sight to walk up to the top of the dunes and look down on scores of seals spread along the beach. You don’t have to walk far from the car park to see them – their range has now extended from recent years, I’m told, which used to mean a lengthy hike from the car to see them. It’s not just about the seals at Horsey – the dunes here are an important habitat for all sorts of creatures, including a healthy range of butterflies. In previous years there has been a tea stop at Horsey Gap car park during seal season, so if you’re thirsty already then nip inland, up to your left, for half an hour. Or if you want a wider choice then the Nelson Head at Horsey is close enough. This pretty pub with a wonderful location has been under new management since the start of this year. Its previous landlords put on a very good show of the pub, especially the array of eye-wateringly worrying weaponry up on the walls! The walk carries on towards
Waxham and the nine huge offshore rock reefs between Waxham and Sea Palling will now be getting closer. The first of the nine coming
from this direction is the smallest and during a high tide you will only see the reef markers rather than the reef itself. As you pass the next few reefs they grow larger – a deliberate design to give some control to the longshore drift moving to the south.
The larger reefs have become rather
problematic over the years because they are almost too efficient. This means they have joined up to the main beach – never the intention – which in turn means people climb all over them, despite warning signs. Sea Palling itself is about half way along the nine reefs and is well worth a stop. An arcade, a pub, public toilets and cafes are immediately accessible from the beach. You’ll have to share the space with the jetskiers, although obviously not so much in the winter.
Eccles on Sea and Cart Gap come next. Cart Gap is worth a stop – walk up the relatively new lifeboat ramp – mainly because of the potential to stop at Smallsticks Barn Cafe. A fine fry up is on offer among other things. It’s now not far to Happisburgh and its iconic lighthouse. There is now a new car park and beach access up and running to the south of the village, designed to replace the ramp lost to coastal erosion nearly 10 years ago and to improve the intermediate solution, which was a set of metal steps slightly to the north. It’s a good healthy walk this one, so a pint in the Hill House pub next to the church shouldn't fill you with any guilt.
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